The Minority in parliament yesterday refused to allow the deputy Minister of Finance, Fifi Kwetey, from answering questions on behalf of the substantive Minister. Though it has always been the convention for deputy Ministers to answer questions on behalf of their bosses, the minority insisted that they would not allow the deputy Minister, who went through a hell of time in the hands of the minority during his vetting for ministerial appointment, to answer the questions. Minority leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, argued that the importance of the questions to be asked demanded the presence of the substantive Minister himself. He added that the house had to be informed about the whereabouts of the substantive Minister and the reason why he could not come to the house to answer the questions.

Hon. Mensah Bonsu argued that the substantive Minister had no reason to be absent from the house because he was given prior notice of yesterday’s questions time. He added that the appropriate thing to do was to have informed the house about the Ministers absence.

The deputy majority leader and Minister designate for Information, Hon. John Tia, immediately jumped to the defense of the embattled deputy Minister by telling the house that Dr. Duffuor, the substantive Minister of Finance, was unavoidably absent because he had to hold meetings with members of the Millennium Challenge Account (MDA), who are presently in the country. He noted that the deputy Minister was equally competent to stand in for his boss, which has been the convention of the house.

He pleaded with the minority to grant the deputy Minister permission to answer the questions since it might take a while before the substantive Minister appears in the house.

The speaker, Mrs. Joyce Bamford Addo, in her ruling on the matter, said the rules of the house does not permit deputy Ministers to answer questions, as such the questions should be ‘stood down’ for the substantive Minister to come and answer.

Mr. Fifi Kwetey has had a frosty relationship with the minority (mainly NPP) side of the house, beginning from his brush with members of the minority on the appointments committee during his vetting, and his recent comments on the floor of parliament when he referred to the economy superintended by the NPP as a ‘doped’ one, which the NPP spokesperson on Finance, Dr. Akoto Osei referred to as ‘unparliamentarily’ comments.

Surprisingly, the deputy Minister of Roads and Highways, Hon. Rojo Mettle-Nunoo was allowed to answer questions on behalf of his Minister. This time, the argument was that since that sector relates to specific regions and constituencies, the deputy Minister could stand in for his boss.

The majority side, apparently wanting to retaliation, also rejected the demand that the deputy Minister should answer the questions.

Second Deputy Speaker of parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, cautioned the majority against retributive tactics because it would not facilitate the work of the house. The Finance minister was to respond to questions on measures the government was taking to stimulate productivity and economic growth, and what they are doing to stimulate private sector productivity.